Israel union drops exhibit portraying terrorists as Virgin Mary
Pictures superimposed faces of female Palestinian suicide bombers on Madonna-and-child paintings.
By The Associated Press and City Mouse Online Tags: Israel terrorism Israel news PalestiniansThe Israeli journalists' union on Thursday took down a series of pictures that superimposed the faces of female Palestinian suicide bombers on Madonna-and-child paintings after the images sparked a public furor.
Yossi Bar-Mocha, the head of the National Federation of Israeli Journalists, said his organization removed the pictures from its Tel Aviv headquarters for fear they would offend people who lost relatives in militant attacks.
"There is a majority in favor of removing the pictures... The main problem is that the artists didn't tell us what the exhibition was about beforehand and simply presented it as 'an exhibition of pictures,'" said Bar-Mocha.
One of the artists, Galina Bleikh, said their intention was not to glorify or justify the bombers' actions. She and her partner, Lilia Chak, tried to address a subject that pains the whole country in the exhibit, titled Woman, Mother, Murderer: An Exhibit on Female Terror, she explained.
"How can a woman who comes into the world with the role of loving and giving life become a source of hatred and murder?" Bleikh added, speaking before the pictures were taken down.
Neither of the artists could immediately be reached afterward.
The seven canvases, part of a larger exhibition, splice the bombers' faces onto works by Botticelli, Raphael and other eminent artists. Bleikh told The Associated Press that the show's concept was sparked by a suicide attack near her Jerusalem home carried out by a female bomber.
"The message is that the baby in the arms of a woman is in danger," she said. "The contrast of the symbol of love, the Madonna, with the face of a killer - it works. It hurts the souls of women who look at it."
That message did not filter through to some of the politicians and relatives of terror attack victims who objected to the works.
The art display was to open without the seven contentious pieces on Thursday night.
Lawmaker Yochanan Plesner of the Kadima Party called the exhibit a despicable public relations ploy.
Almagor, an Israeli organization representing victims of militant attacks, said the paintings glorified the bombers.
"These pictures will become a hit in the Arab world," said Dr. Aryeh Bachrach, head of Almagor's bereaved parents forum. "Depicting Palestinian women murderers as saints is an important propaganda achievement for terror organizations," said Bachrach, whose son was killed by Palestinian gunmen while hiking in the West Bank in 1995.
Journalists' union head Bar-Mocha said he was unaware of the pictures' content ahead of time and after consulting with board members and legal counsel, decided the sensibilities of terror victims' relatives trumped concerns over freedom of expression.
"If I must hear the cries of the bereaved families who lost their loved ones at the hands of these murderers, then I would favor them over these murderers and the images that are depicted as Christian saints," he said.
The uproar was reminiscent of a controversy that arose in 2004 in Sweden after an Israeli-born artist mounted an installation showing a small ship carrying a picture of a female suicide bomber sailing in a rectangular pool filled with red-colored water.
The artist, Dror Feiler, said the piece was mean to call attention to how weak, lonely people can be capable of horrible things.
But the then-Israeli ambassador to Sweden, Zvi Mazel, said the exhibit glorified suicide bombers and he threw a spotlight at the installation, trying to damage it and causing a diplomatic flap between the two countries.
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Pictures depicting female Palestinian suicide bombers as the Virgin Mary that were removed from a T.A. exhibit. |
| Photo by: (Nir Kafri) |
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This whole story stinks!! Diector "did not know of pictures" Faces on Mother Mary "representing poor loss of life to mothers" Everyone knew what was on and they try to fool the public. Another left conspiracy if ever there was one.Journalists are the worst for lying to the public!!
It is very unfortunate that the Israeli law and society do not recognize and reject the acts of their citizens, union, parliament and government. Nobody should feel in his/her right mind when painting (pasting) faces of terrorists in the pictures of what others hold as holy. That this can be done without accountability is only exacerbated by another news item the same day in the same news medium (Ha'aretz) that the Jewish Agency declares that mixed marriages abroad constitute the KIDNAPPING of Jews. A few months ago the parliament discussed an oath of loyalty by non Jewish Israelis (critics could be stripped of their citizenship). A few years ago "Chok Druckman" proposed that non Jews cannot buy real estate in Israel. When will the people that were affected by racial and religious discrimination in the most horrific ways, find the enlightenment to shed similar discriminatory attitudes among them, regardless of whether the Israeli law permits, forbids or just leaves the act unpunished?
To me it does not glorify suicide bombers but shows in more palpable terms to Western (Christian) eyes the highjacking of religion for perpetrating a culture of murder, by extreme Islam.
Israelis lament about antisemitism and felt insulted by the swedish article of IDDF trading human body parts of palestinians. They demamded an apology. Should catholic over the world demand apology? I challange censors to publish my post.
During the intifada, Jews were blown up on buses, restaurants, hotels and malls. Christians were silent or enjoying it.In Scotland a painting of Christ on the Cross surrounded by Roman soldiers was replaced by Christ on the Cross surrounded by Israeli soldiers.In Italy a newspaper cartoon showed the Christ Child in the manger saying" dont tell me (to Israelis) you are going to kill me again." The painting of the Madonna/ Bomber is a protest at the hypocrisy and silence when God's people are treated the way they were and are. And we Christains ignore their pain. Christians should be more sensitive about Jews rather than hypocrites.
yeah, an israeli would definitely protray the virgin mary as a terrorist. Israelis also would like to portray fruit flies as weapons of mass destruction. I can certainly say that most israelis are stupid racists. And the world sees what they do and how they portray arabs. There are arab jews that don't acknowledge israelis of being jews simply because of their racisit ideology.
"How can a woman who comes into the world with the role of loving and giving life become a source of hatred and murder?" Bleikh added, speaking before the pictures were taken down Can ther en=be an explanation about murdering and terrorizing IDF women soldiers?
There was a time when artists were respected and admired for their creativity and portrayal of life and times. I don't know when it happened but at some time in the recent past, art became anything that one could put a frame around. One "artist" urinated into a bottle containing a crucifix and called it "Piss Christ". We need to redefine what an artist is these days to begin to understand these new works. I am not optimistic.
Not much to really say about this other than comment on the sheer idiocy. I almost forgot, offending artists to (that is, anyone who truly appreciates artistic creation). If this is the product of Israeli society, good luck.
apear to be good, they were trying to bring attention to the subject.Thet took down the pictures when victims of the bombings were offended. a couple of years ago Israel comemerated the bombing of the King David Hotel Bibi attented the festivities I guess they weren't worried about offending the British. Recently Israel ran a verry Blasphemos tv spoof saying Jesus was to fat to walk on water and Mother Mary got pregnant by a classmate. in response to the Vatican rehabilatating a priest back into the church who was excomunicated for dening the holocaust PS Israel still denies the Armenian genocide and their lobbies work overtime on behalf of Turkey to wipe the genocide of the face of history books
There is no need to superimpose images of Palestinian victims of the occupation, if Israeli's truly seek redemption they don't need to reach back to biblical times for that. I know the "artist" had different intention with this picture but looking at it I see something totally different. I see a Palestinian mother holding a child that will be crucified not because of anything he did but because he was born a Palestinian. That's the message I get from this picture. I suggest Zionists go and see "Breaking the Silence" exhibit but then again, that would offend their sensibilities as well. The truth hurts!
Will there be the same outrage over glorifying Jewish women who died on suicide missions to save Jews or Israel?
I am not opposed to the exhibit but I find it very offensive. Freedom of speech is OK , this does not mean that people cannot show that they are offended by it and if they do voice their opposing view it necessarily means that they are opposed to free speech... ......
One would like to think that after the Muhammad cartoon controversy artists would be more prudent in publicly exhibiting sacrilegious works. For Muslims and Christians, the appropriation of images purported to represent Jesus (a prophet of Islam and deity for Christians) and his Mother (a saint for both religions and the only woman mentioned by name in the Qur'an) is painful and unacceptable. The danger to public safety and social stability when such symbols are abused is why many countries, even modern democracies like Canada, for example, still have criminal statutes against blasphemous libel. Those laws may not actually be used any more, but they remind us that there are some things about which people feel so strongly that it is a public danger to abuse them.
As a Catholic, I am mortally offended by the paintings and am grateful to the Israelis for the speed with which the exhibit was removed. HOWEVER, what happened to all the proponents of free speech that usually attack the Jews? The Swedes publish an admittedly false blood libel, and the Antisemites start screaming freedom of Speech and censorship when Jewish ire is noted! Irving publishes his blood libels and revisionism globally, and when the Jews complain, we again hear the specter of blame the Jews for trying to quash his "free speech." And again, when the Iranians call for an end to all Jews and how the Holocaust is a "Zionist lie," the Antisemites tell the Jews to leave him alone since in a "true democracy" freedom of speech is sacrosanct. It will be interesting to see how the usual Antisemites turn this and attack Jews yet again, especially after the speed with which it was condemned and removed by those very same Jews.
Just a thought: would they have pulled an exhibit which offended those who had had relatives killed by the IDF? After all, there are far far more of those.
This article ignores the ire of billions of Christians. What a foolish thing to do when Israel has the full endoresment of Evangelical groups around the world. I am a muslim and I find so called art insulting to Christians. Stop undermining the good will of people of love you unconditionally.